comma after long introductory clause [conjunction]: When..., there

[godfreychan]

When Mr and Mrs Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday our story starts, there was nothing...

I have no idea why present simple is used here. And it seems to me that "our story starts" is an independent clause, why there's a comma but not a full stop after it?

Can I write the sentence like this?
When Mr and Mrs Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday(, )our story start(ed)(. )There was nothing...

Thank you!

 

[cropje_jnr]

Add in "when" (or another relative pronoun) between "Tuesday" and "our". I suspect you'll understand better.

=> When Mr and Mrs Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday when/where/on which our story starts, there was nothing...

In other words, she is talking about a specific Tuesday - the one on which the story began.

 

[godfreychan]

Add in "when" (or another relative pronoun) between "Tuesday" and "our". I suspect you'll understand better.

=> When Mr and Mrs Dursley woke up on the dull, grey Tuesday when/where/on which our story starts, there was nothing...

In other words, she is talking about a specific Tuesday - the one on which the story began.

Thank you! But I still don't understand why present simple (starts) is used.

 

[Rover_KE]

Our story is starting now.

Rover